The Daily Populous Wednesday October 2nd, 2024 evening edition
Authored by dailyrecord.co.uk and submitted by SubstantialSnow7114

Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Get the latest top news stories sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter

A pair of miracle twins have defied the odds after being given a 10 per cent chance of survival - before they were even born.

Mum Sally Kynoch, from Moray, was over halfway through her pregnancy in December 2023, when she was transferred from Aberdeen Maternity Hospital to Glasgow where medics confirmed her unborn babies had stage 4 twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). The rare condition occurs when twins share one placenta and can cause death if one twin gives away more blood than it receives.

The recipient twin can also receive too much blood and is susceptible to overwork of the heart which can lead to cardiac failure - so Sally was left requiring a risky laser ablation procedure to save her babies lives while they were still in the room.

Tiny sisters Kelsea and Willow were then born in February this year, at just 32 weeks. After four weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, they were able to go home and now, seven months on, they are thriving.

Sally said: "I had such a crazy pregnancy, to be honest, I am still trying to get my head around it. It was such a scary time. I was transferred to Glasgow where the Foetal Medicine Department confirmed we had stage 4 TTTS.

"We were told the babies were extremely poorly and were both going into heart failure. There was no fluid around twin 2 and no bladder could be found. She was really small. Twin 1 had a lot of fluid around her and was noticeably much larger than her sister.

"After discussing possible options with Dr Gibson, we decided to go ahead with laser ablation to seal off some of the blood vessels in the placenta so that both babies receive a more equal supply of blood.

"This came with a lot of potential risks and complications such as preterm delivery, rupture of membranes and complications for the babies.

"But without any treatment, there was only a 10% chance of both twins surviving. Thankfully, the laser ablation was successful.”

Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

She continued: "The weeks following the surgery were scary. We didn't know what to expect. We didn't know if things would continue to improve or if the excess fluid would return.

“Thankfully everything stayed okay, and our twins Kelsea and Willow were born at 32+5 weeks weighing 3lb6 and 3lb4.

"They needed very little help; they were breathing on their own and were tube-fed for the first 4 weeks. They were looked after in NICU for four weeks in total. Kelsea and Willow stayed in intensive care for 10 days, then were then moved to the special care unit for the remainder of their stay.

“They are now seven months old, and they continue to amaze us every day. They truly are miracles! We are forever grateful for everything that was done to save our twins."

internetlad on October 2nd, 2024 at 18:34 UTC »

This title reminds me of the John Mulaney bit about the New York post and "Tots Heroes Pervs and Angels"

VVynn on October 2nd, 2024 at 14:46 UTC »

That’s good news, but something that happens 1 out of 10 times isn’t exactly a miracle.

shapeshade on October 2nd, 2024 at 13:07 UTC »

> Sally was left requiring a risky laser ablation procedure to save her babies lives while they were still in the room.

This site needs a proofreader